Sen. Leland Yee Withdraws From Secretary Of State Race

Yee in custody as he arrives at the Federal Courthouse in San Francisco. Credit: CBSSF

SACRAMENTO (AP) — A California state senator accused of accepting bribes and introducing an undercover agent to an arms trafficker is dropping out of the race for California secretary of state.

Sen. Leland Yee’s attorney, Paul DeMeester, read a letter that Yee sent to California Secretary of State Debra Bowen on Thursday informing her that he was withdrawing his candidacy.

State legislators have called on Yee to step down from the state Senate. Asked whether Yee planned to do that, DeMeester declined to comment.

Yee was arrested Wednesday during a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

A criminal complaint accuses him of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in cash and campaign contributions in exchange for providing official favors, influencing legislation and helping to broker an arms deal with an undercover FBI agent.

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Associated Press writers Judy Lin and Fenit Nirappil also contributed to this report.

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